Opening hours
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday : 08:00 - 18:00
Learn and Grow Childcare
Ofsted: Urgent improvement·
5.0(11 parent reviews)
·62-63 Merrick House, Whale Avenue, Reading, RG2 0GX · Reading
Number of places
111 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Feb 2026
Local authority
Reading
About this day nursery
Learn and Grow Childcare, located in Reading, RG2 0GX, is a childcare setting for children aged 0-4 years. Registered with Ofsted on 22/12/2023 and operating since 2023, the nursery offers care Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 18:00.
The latest inspection on 24 February 2026 rated the setting as Inadequate, highlighting weaknesses in leadership, curriculum design, and staff development that impact children's progress. While staff are noted for building secure bonds with children and supporting individual routines, there are areas requiring urgent improvement, particularly in communication and language development.
The nursery has an overall capacity for 111 children and has met safeguarding standards, ensuring a safe environment for all children. The setting is actively working to address the identified improvements, with specific actions required by March and April 2026 to enhance the educational experience for children with varying needs, including those with SEND.
Our ethos
At our day care, kindergarten, and playgroup, our values form the foundation of everything we do. We are committed to providing a nurturing environment, maintaining a standard of excellence in education and care, and actively engaging with our community. Our mission at Learn & Grow Childcare is to empower young minds for a bright and successful future. We are dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing, and stimulating environment where children can thrive. Through a curriculum grounded in educational best practices, adherence to guidelines, and a commitment to excellence, we aim to lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
What it's like
Overall, weaknesses in leadership, curriculum design and staff development limit children's progress and experiences across the setting. Leadership remains weak, and recent staff changes have not been well managed. Staff lack the skills to meet children's developmental needs, particularly in communication and language, due to leaders not identifying gaps in knowledge or providing targeted training. Staff are kind and caring. Overall, children become confident in some routines, such as toileting and mealtimes. Improvements to the key-person approach helps babies and less confident children feel settled, safe and secure. Children develop some friendships with their peers.
Weaknesses in leadershipCurriculum design needs improvementStaff development neededBonds with childrenSupports individual routinesPromotes physical health
Pricing & funding
Pricing on request
This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.
Request pricing →Key facts
Food
Catered, with Halal, Vegan, and Vegetarian options
Established
2023
Ofsted Inspection — new report card
Urgent improvement
Last inspected Feb 2026
Grade summary
Exceptional
—
Strong standard
—
Expected standard
—
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Each dot represents one of the six inspection categories. Headline is the average of the six grades, rounded up.
Category grades
AchievementUrgent improvement
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routinesUrgent improvement
Children's welfare and wellbeingNeeds attention
Curriculum and teachingUrgent improvement
InclusionUrgent improvement
Leadership and governanceUrgent improvement
Age range
0 to 4
Registers
Early Years Register
Ofsted Inspection
Ofsted rating for Learn and Grow Childcare
Last inspected 24 February 2026 · Tara Naylor
Actions the provider must take
- Ensure that persons with governance and oversight understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities (Completion Date: 20/03/2026).
- Improve staff supervisions to identify training needs and put in place coaching and support to raise the quality of teaching (Completion Date: 20/03/2026).
- Ensure that the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met through agreed strategies that are understood and consistently implemented by all staff (Completion Date: 20/03/2026).
- Ensure staff use effective behaviour management strategies and give children consistent support and guidance to help them learn how to behave well (Completion Date: 20/03/2026).
- Ensure children who have emerging gaps within their speech and language skills receive the support and early intervention they need (Completion Date: 01/04/2026).
- Improve staff's understanding of how to use their knowledge of children to accurately assess and monitor their progress, to help them plan and tailor learning experiences for children and ensure they make good progress in their development (Completion Date: 01/04/2026).
What it's like to attend
Overall, weaknesses in leadership, curriculum design and staff development limit children's progress and experiences across the setting. Leadership remains weak, and recent staff changes have not been well managed. Staff lack the skills to meet children's developmental needs, particularly in communication and language, due to leaders not identifying gaps in knowledge or providing targeted training. Staff are kind and caring. Overall, children become confident in some routines, such as toileting and mealtimes. Improvements to the key-person approach helps babies and less confident children feel settled, safe and secure. Children develop some friendships with their peers.
Inspector highlights
- Staff build bonds with children that help them feel safe and secure.
- Routines that support children's individual needs are supported well.
- Staff teach children about routines that support their physical health.
- As babies play with modelling dough, they develop their hand-eye coordination skills.
- Staff use opportunities in their play to model language.
- The safeguarding standards are met, ensuring a safe environment where concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed.
Areas to develop
- 1Leaders need to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning receive the support they need to make the progress they are capable of. This includes sufficient training for staff to apply the graduated approach effectively, and implementing advice from speech assessments.
- 2Leaders need to oversee the monitoring of children's progress and work with staff to check and plan for learning priorities as children move between rooms.
- 3Leaders need to ensure that persons with governance and oversight understand and fulfil their roles and responsibilities.
- 4Leaders need to improve staff supervisions to identify training needs and put in place coaching and support to raise the quality of teaching.
- 5Leaders need to ensure that the needs of children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are met through agreed strategies that are understood and consistently implemented by all staff.
- 6Leaders need to ensure staff use effective behaviour management strategies and give children consistent support and guidance to help them learn how to behave well.
- 7Leaders need to ensure children who have emerging gaps within their speech and language skills receive the support and early intervention they need.
- 8Leaders need to improve staff's understanding of how to use their knowledge of children to accurately assess and monitor their progress, to help them plan and tailor learning experiences for children and ensure they make good progress in their development.
Inspection #10418659 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report
Inclusion & environment
How they support every child
SEND provision
Where children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, are not helped to express themselves, this leads to periods of frustration where they cannot make their wants, needs or wishes clearly shared with peers or staff. Also, some children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to learning, do not achieve well enough from their starting points. Leaders are required to ensure children with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those who face barriers to their learning receive the support they need to make the progress they are capable of. Staff require sufficient training to apply the graduated approach effectively, as current support plans are ineffective. If children have speech assessments, advice is not implemented.
Outdoor space
There are opportunities for physical play outdoors, where children practise hula hoop and how to throw and catch balls.
EAL / language support
Where children, including those who face barriers to learning, are not helped to express themselves, this leads to periods of frustration where they cannot make their wants, needs or wishes clearly shared with peers or staff.
Parent Reviews of Learn and Grow Childcare
5.0
(11)
N Crina M
2 years ago
Amarah and her team are amazing. The way how they look and still looking for my son is incredible and the best part thing is that my son becomes more confident and truly happy. I have trusted Amarah since I saw her and spoke for few minute. I remembered that I had in my mind : “she is the right women/person who I trust and leave my son whole day for growing in a well and nourishing place”. Definitely 💯 👍🏻 I will recommend Amarah and Mona (and others team). My son is still exiting when he goes there! Is 🤩 wow!
Read on Google
omar rafiq
3 years ago
After 2 years of attending childcare with Learn and Grow my daughter said goodbye on Friday. As a parent it’s the best choice we made enrolling our daughter into Learn and Grow. Seeing my daughter develop so much over the past 2 years I can honestly say Amarah and Mona have done a fantastic job. The facilities are brilliant along with the variety of food choices daily my daughter will surely miss the setting and childminders. I can honestly say our experience has been brilliant so accommodating on short notice, attention to detail treating the children like there own. I can’t recommend Learn and Grow enough keep up the good work and hopefully see you guys soon with our next child!! #bestchildmindersinreading
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Ali Khan
2 years ago
Amarah and her team have been incredibly nice to me and my daughter. I send my daughter here she is so happy and eager to come, we get regular updates about our daughters learning progress. It makes me happy that she is having a good time there. 5 stars from me.
Read on Google
Jamila Hussain
3 years ago
Feel so lucky to have found Amarah to look after my son. From the onset there was always open communication and a loving and caring environment, my son loved his time there. Great childminder, I highly recommend learn and grow childcare.
Read on Google
Tamara Golubova
2 years ago
I am truly glad my son attends Learn&Grow Kennet Island. Amarah and her team are really engaged in communicating with children. Always friendly, my son everyday talking about teachers and what they did together. No doubt, I'm absolutely happy to be a part of Learn&Grow!
Read on GoogleReviews from Google for Learn and Grow Childcare. See all on Google Maps
Inspection history
Date: May 2025
The most recent inspection point has been hidden because the parsed entry didn't match the headline Ofsted rating (Inadequate). We're re-checking it against the original report.
- November 2025Inadequate
- May 2025Requires improvement
Frequently asked about Learn and Grow Childcare
About the setting
Learn and Grow Childcare was registered with Ofsted on 22/12/2023. It is a childcare on non-domestic premises setting. The registered person is Learn and Grow Childcare Ltd.
- URN
- 2767121
- Registered person
- Learn and Grow Childcare Ltd
- Day care type
- Full day care
- Register
- Early Years Register
- Establishment type
- Childcare on non-domestic premises
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